To say that Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth (Radio 4) is stretching things. Vince Taylor, profiled in this programme, was one of many inspirations for Bowie's magnificently strange creation. "He was definitely part of the blueprint of this strange character that came from somewhere," Bowie said in an archive clip. But that was about it: Taylor, in the depths of drug-induced paranoia and oddness, fed into Bowie's creative process.

It was a shame to spin things so Bowie-wards, as the programme – which contained much else besides, and only a few moments about Ziggy Stardust – inevitably felt a bit of a letdown. Presenter Martyn Day didn't help matters, with his rigid delivery. "He was invented by David Bowie, right?" he said of Stardust, the question stilted as he read it out.

The reality was that this was a well-researched portrait of a minor music star from the very early days of British rock'n'roll, and the tale of his sad decline. That all started when he took LSD for the first time. He presented himself to his band-mates, carrying a roll of purple silk fabric under his arm and a bottle of Mateus wine in one hand. "You all think I'm Vince Taylor," he cried, "but my name is Mateus and I am the son of Jesus Christ."